Chocolate profiteroles

This chocolate profiteroles recipe from Geoffrey Smeddle, from his cooking campaign with the Sunday Herald, is simply delightful. The French pastries are full to bursting with cream and drenched in sweet chocolate sauce. They work perfectly as an indulgent dinner party finale or as a sweet gift to your Valentine. For more chocolate recipes, view our collection of chocolate desserts.

Chocolate sauce

Equipment

Method

To make the chocolate profiterole begin by heating the oven to 200°C and lightly oil a large baking sheet

vegetable oil

2

To make the pastry for the chocolate profiteroles, put the butter, sugar and 200ml of water in a pan over a gentle heat to melt the butter. Once melted, increase the heat, and immediately add the flour and a dash of salt all at once

Divide the mix up on the baking tray. Either use a spoon to make walnut-sized pieces, leaving a little space between them for them to puff up, or use a piping bag and plain nozzle to pipe on small balls instead

6

Next, dip a teaspoon into warm water and use the back of it to smooth the top of each profiterole

7

Bake the buns in the oven for 10 minutes, then turn the tray and bake for another 5-10 minutes until dark golden (if underdone the buns will be soggy once cooled)

8

Remove from the oven and make a small hole in the base of each profiterole with a skewer. Place them back on the tray, holes upwards, and cook for a few minutes more

9

Remove from the oven and place on a cooling rack. Once cold, they can be stored in an airtight container in a cool place for 24 hours

10

Place the cream in a bowl and whip until soft peaks form, then transfer to a piping bag with a 5mm plain nozzle, and place in the fridge while you make the chocolate sauce

600ml of double cream

11

Place the chocolate in a bowl over a pan of hot water to melt. Meanwhile, place the sugar and water in a pan over a moderate heat, dissolve the sugar and bring to the boil. Stir the melted chocolate into the sugar syrup and set aside

To finish, pipe the cream into the chocolate profiteroles then stack them up on a plate. Drizzle over a small amount of the chocolate sauce, then serve with plenty of extra hot chocolate sauce on the side

Geoffrey Smeddle, proprietor and chef of The Peat Inn in Fife, started his career working for Herbert Berger at The Café Royal and for Christopher Galvin in London. He then sealed his reputation as one of Scotland’s top chefs by opening Terence Conran's Etain, in Glasgow.